Folding coop.



0. L. LOWRY. FOLDING COOP.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 12, 1913.

1,098,045. Patented May 26, 1914.

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COLUIAIIA PLANOGIAPH C0" WASHINGTON. u. C.

G. L. LOWRY.

FOLDING 0001.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1913.

1 098,045. Patented May 26, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

32 C.L.LOWR Y llvflmemo 28 27 3O Wm 85 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. LOWRY, 0F SULPHUR SPRINGS, GEORGIA.

FOLDING COOP.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. LOWRY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Sulphur Springs, in the county of Dade and State of Georgia,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Coops, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in chicken coops, and moreparticularly to that class of coops which are adapted to be folded whennot in use.

An object of this invention is the provision of a-foldable chicken coopcomprising a bottom having upstanding side and end flanges, side wallshingedly connected to said side flanges and'end walls hingedly connectedto said end flanges, and a sectional top, one section of the top beinghingedly secured to each of the side walls of the coop.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a coop in whichthe bottom is formed solid, and the side and end walls and top areformed of open wire frames whereby a strong solid coop is provided.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of improvedmeans for bracing the side and end walls and top of the coop when inopen position.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in certainnovel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts, to behereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of myinvention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 22 of Fig.1, showing the coop in set up position; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionthereof in set up position; Fig. 4: is a section on the line 4- 1 ofFig. 1; Fig. 5 is an end view in folded position; and Fig. 6 is a topplan view showing the top members open and one of the walls folded.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 5 designatesthe solid bottom of my coop, the bottom being provided with upstandingside flanges 6 and end flanges 7. Hingedly connected to the side flanges6 are side walls 8 which are formed of wire frames. The end flanges 7are formed with reduced portions 9 at their opposite ends, and the endwalls 10 which are also composed of wire frames are formed with reducedextensions 11 which are hing- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 12, 1913.

Patented May 26, 1914.

Serial No. 767,115.

edly connected to the reduced portions 9 of the end flanges whereby thehinged connection of the end walls is disposed below the hingedconnection of the side walls so that the end walls may fold inwardlyupon the bottom of the coop and the side walls may also fold inwardlyupon the end walls. Tubular members 12 are secured to the outer faces ofthe end walls at their opposite ends, and tubular members are alsosecured to the opposite ends of the end flanges 7 and to the oppositeends of the sidewalls 8, the severaltubular members registering. whenthe coop is set up in position to form a tubular post at each corner ofthe coop, and pins 13 are adapted to engage in the posts to hold the endand side walls of the coop in set up position. The pins 13 arepreferably secured to the upper edges of the end walls by cords 14, soas to prevent them from becoming lost when the coop is folded.

To brace the intermediate portions of the side walls against inwardmovement when the coop is in set up position, I provide substantiallyU-shaped brace members 15, the intermediate portions of which extendtransversely within the coop, and the opposite ends 16 engage in hollowsleeves 17 which are secured to the inner faces of the side walls 8 andside flanges 6. The intermediate portions or cross bars of the bracemembers 15 are offset downwardly, as at 18, for a portion of theirlength, and the cross bars are formed near one end with a spaced .pairof upwardly extending loops 19, and near their other end with a singleupstanding loop 19, the purpose of which will be hereinafter more fullydescribed. To brace the end walls 10 against inward movement when thecoop is in set up position, I provide substantially U-shaped bracemembers 20, the opposite ends of the members being offset outwardly asat 21, and pivotally mounted in openings 22 formed in the side flanges 6in their opposite ends. The intermediate portions of the end walls 10,are formed with elongated openings 23 for the reception of the offsetloops 24: formed on the intermediate portions of the brace members 20.

The top of the coop comprises two sections 25 and 26 which are alsoformed of wire frames, the section 25 being relatively larger than thesection 26, and each of the sections being hingedly connected to one ofthe side walls 8. The section 25 is provided on its under face with aspaced pair of longitudinally extending guide members 27 in which a door28 is slidably mounted, the under face of the section 25 being alsoprovided with a catch 29 to maintain the door in closed position. Eachof the sections 25 and 26 are formed intermediate of their ends withopenings 30 adapted to engage the upstanding loops 19 formed on thebrace members 15, and when the section 25 of the top is disposed overthe body of the catch, the guide members 27 in the door are disposedwithin the downwardly offset portions 18 of the brace members 15 wherebythe top will rest flush against the upper edges of the walls of thecoop. Projecting upwardly from the upper edges of the end walls 10 areapertured lugs 31 which are adapted to engage in openings 32 in thesections of the top when the top is in closed position, and pins 33 areadapted to engage in the apertures of the lugs and bear against theupper faces of the sections 25 and 26 to maintain them in closedposition.

Then the coop is empty and it is desired to fold the same, the pins 33are removed from the apertured lugs 31 so that the sections 25 and 26 ofthe top may be moved to open position. The brace members 15 may then bemoved from engagement with the sleeve 17 and disposed on the bottom ofthe coop, and the brace members 20 may be swung inwardly within the coopso that the looped portions 24: thereof are disengaged from the openings23 formed in the end walls of the coop. The pins 13 are thereuponremoved from the tubular posts 12 and the side wall 8 having the section26 hingedly connected thereto is swung inwardly to rest upon the offsetportions 34 of the end flanges 7. The other side wall 8 and the section25 of the top are moved inwardly and downwardly to rest upon the upperedge of the end flanges 7, and the apertured lug 35 projecting from thefree edge of the section 25 is disposed through an opening 36 in thelatch member 37 secured to the outer face of the adjacent flange 6, anda pin 38 is disposed through the apertured lug 35 to maintain thesection in closed position.

It will be seen from the above description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, that I have provided a chicken coop which may bereadily folded when not in use, and it will also be noted that thehingedly connected side walls and end walls and top are securely bracedwhen the coop is in set up position.

While the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings is thepreferred embodiment of my invention it will be understood that minorchanges in construction may be resorted to without departing from thespirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages, asdetermined by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention what I desire to claim andsecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a bottom havingupstanding side and end flanges, side walls hingedly connected to saidside flanges, said end flanges having reduced portions at their oppositeends, end walls having reduced extensions hingedly connected to thereduced portions of said end flanges, each of said end flanges having asecond reduced portion near one end thereof, and a sectional top, onesection of the top being hingedly secured to each of the side walls, andone section of the top being adapted to engage the second reducedportion of said end flanges when the device is folded, as and for thepurpose described.

2. A device of the character described comprising a bottom havingupstanding side and end flanges, side walls hingedly connected to saidside flanges, end walls hingedly connected to said end flanges, each ofsaid end walls having a transversely extending elongated slot formedcentrally therein, U- shaped members having their opposite endspivotally connected to the side flanges, the intermediate portions ofsaid U-shaped memhere being formed with offset loops for en gagement insaid slots, and a sectional top, one section of the top being hingedlysecured to each of said side walls, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

CHARLES L. LOWRY. Witnesses:

W. A. LOWRY,

Bnssns CUREroN.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G.

